Liquid heater



Feb. 6, 1934.

H. R. OLIVER LIQUID HEATER Filed June 29, 1931 %9;%' Snoentor ff. )5. 02232122 Camp. 6.

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Patented F eb. 6, 1934 F UNITED I STATES 1,946,031 LIQUID HEATER.

Herbert R. Oliver, Baltimore, Md. Application June 29, 1931. Serial No. 547,670

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in liquid heaters and is particularly directed to a heater wherein fluid fuel is employed. as the heating agent. a 5 The invention is particularly applicable for use in gas-fired water heaters or boilers, either of a horizontal or vertical type, wherein fluid fuel is employed, and is as readily applicable to boilers of a commercial as of a domestic type.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of burner in the enclosing shell of the heater or boiler that will permit of a desired distribution of the heating flame; that will permit of a ready adjustment of such flame and which will enable such flame, as is used, to be properly distributed about the surfaces that are to be heated.

With these and other objects in view, one application of the invention is illustrated in the ac-v companying drawing, wherein- Fig.1 shows the improved burner in perspective.

Fig. 2 illustrates a form of water heater with the novel burner in place therein,parts of the shell and burner structure being broken away for illustrative purposes.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional elevation at one end of the heater and burner, and Fig. 4 shows the detached valve-disk'by which the flow of fluid fuel to the burner is Varied. Referring to the drawing the numeral 5 designates the outer shell of a boiler or heater having an outlet 6 for the products of combustion.

Preferably, I provide the interior of the shell with a partition 7 whereby to form a compartment 8 at one end thereof that is separated from the combustion chamber 9 in which the fluid fuel is burned.

I also preferably provide a man-hole or door 10 at one end of the shell by which access may be gained to the compartment 8.

Through the chamber 9 of the heater there extends a shaft 11 on which there is a forward head 12 and a rear header 13.

The head 12 is located at the forward end of the combustion chamber 9 while the header 13 is at the rear end of that chamber and, preferably, is located in a central opening formed in the partition '7 so that the forward side of the header will face toward the combustion chamber 9 while the rear side thereof will be exposed in the compartment 8.

The header 13 is provided with a central annular chamber 14 from which a plurality of gas In the present instance, four of theseradialgas passages 15, 16, 17 and 18 are provided, but the number is not material and may be more or less than that shown.

Each passage, in this instance, also has a lat- I eral bend or turn so as to cause the outer ends 80 of said passages to face rearwardly or toward the combustion chamber 9.

The header 13 carries a tube-plate 19 at its forward side and suitable fastenings 20 are employed which extend through the header proper and enter the tube-plate to hold the latter in place. e

Between the header proper and the tube-plate,

I provide'a disk-valve 21 which latter is mounted so'it may be turned on the shaft 11 between the '0 header and the tube-plate. r

- This disk-valve 21 has a series of ports extending therethrough from frontv to rear, and these ports are so located diametrically as to' be brought into register with the lateral ends of the 76 radial gas passages 15, 16, 1'7 and J 18 of the header.

In the present instance the ports in the diskvalve are designated 22, 23, 24,, 25, 26,27 and28 respectively and their radial. positions with respect to the central axis of the diskis such that the disk-valve may be turned so that but one port 22, will register withone of the four radial passages of the header while all otherpassages of the header will be blanked out.

The ports of the disk-valve are also arranged sothe valve may be turned to cause four ports 23, 25, 26 and 28 to register with all four radial passages 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the header, or, said disk-valve may be turned so that its ports 24 and 27 may be registered with two radial passages of the header.

Thus it will be understood that by turning the disk-valve 21 gas may flow through one port only; or, through four ports or through two ports, 05 according to the position of the disk-valve with respect to the passages of the header.

The disk-valve 21 has a central hub 29 whose outer portion snugly fits the shaft, but whose inner portion, around the disk itself, is enlarged about the shaft to form an annular chamber 30 which serves as a gas manifold. This enlarged portion of the valve-hub is provided with an annular series of ports 31 so that gas or liquid fuel ,105 may constantly pass through said ports 31 to the annular chamber 30 and from the latter to the several radial passages 15, 16, 17 or 18 of the header so that said passages will constantly be I supplied with fuel, although the outer ends of and carried by the header 13 has a seriesgof' burner-tubes 36 extending therefrom.

One end of each of these tubes is secured in said tube-plate and terminates at the forward side of the disk-valve 21 where all may be blanked 01f by said valve and these tubes extend forward to the head 12 where they are rigidly held in the latter.

The head 12, it will be noted, is not hollow and the forward ends of the burner tubes 36 are therefore blanked or sealed so that one tube has no communication whatever with another tube at said forward head. If therefore, fuel is cut off from one tube at the header-end by means of the disk-valve 21, fuel cannot enter that tube at the other end and said tube will therefore be cut out of operation.

To facilitate the operation of the disk-valve 21, I provide the outer end of the hub 29 with a spiral gear 37 which meshes with another spiral gear 38 that is mounted on a stud-shaftthat projects from the header, and this latter gear 38 has a hand-wheel 39 by which it may readily be turned so as to rotate the gears 38, 37 and hub 29 and thereby turn the disk-valve with precision to bring its desired ports into register with the desired radial passages and thus partially or completely cut off the flow of fuel to such burner tubes as desired.

Small ports 40 through the disk-valve and ports 41 through the tube-plate 19 permit the passage of gas into the combustion chamber and serve as pilot burners.

To increase the efficiency of the burner, I provide the header 13 with a ring-gear 42, which meshes with a small pinion 43 and which latter, in turn, is driven by a gear 44 that may be constantly driven through a chain 45 from a motor so as to rotate the header and burner-tubes within the combustion chamber 9 and more effectively distribute the heat, particularly when only one or two burner tubes are in operation.

From the foregoing it is believed to be clear that by means of the disk-valve, the number of operating burner-tubes may readily be varied and that by rotating the header and tubes a very efficient distribution of heat may be gained.

In the present disclosure, it is presumed that the coiled pipe 46 in the shell and about the burner will conduct water through the heating zone of the shell to be heated.

I also show an idler pinion 47 to engage the ring-gear 42 merely to aid in steadying the latter.

Having described my invention, I claim,

1. A burner for liquid heaters comprising two spaced apart heads one of which has radial fluid fuel passages therein, perforated'burner tubes extending from the fuel passages of the one head to and suported by the other head and means with a plurality of fuel passages, a tube plate carrying a series of burner tubes, means between the header and tube plate for blanking oil the passage of fuel to some tubes in the tube plate While establishing communication, with others and means for rotating the tube plate and burner tubes.

4. A burner comprising two spaced apart heads one of which has fluid fuel passages, a series of burner tubes extending between said heads, means in that head having the fuel passages for controlling the passage of fuel to said tubes and means for rotating said heads and tubes.

5. A burner for fluid fuel comprising two spaced apart heads one of which has fluid fuel passages, a series of burner tubes extending between said heads, a disk in said head with the fuel passages, said disk having a series of ports therethrough, means for moving the disk tocause the ports thereof to control the flow of fuel from the head to varying numbers of said fuel tubes and means for rotating said heads and tubes.

HERBERT R. OLIVER. 

